Winners West Germany
Teams 16
Host Switzerland
Teams in qualifiers 45
Notable absentees Spain
Surprises Korean Republic
Golden Boot Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11
Stats A total of 140 goals were scored (5.38 per match); Hungary (27) scored the most
Format Four groups of four with two seeded and two unseeded teams in each group. However, the teams played just two matches per group rather than the usual three, with the seeded sides facing unseeded sides. Where teams ended up tied for the second qualifying position by points, they required a play-off. The two teams finishing at the top of their group went through to the quarter-finals
Number of matches 26
Innovations
• For the first time, the tournament was televised
• All matches level after 90 minutes went to extra time. Only if the scores were still tied after 120 minutes were they deemed drawn
Controversies
• The draw for the finals took place before the end of the qualifying. Spain were seeded but had to be replaced after they were knocked out by Turkey following a replayed match that had eventually been settled by the captains drawing lots
• Three players were sent off in the match between Hungary and Brazil, which went down in history as the Battle of Berne. Even after the game, the fighting continued as the Brazilians burst into the Hungarian dressing room and a pitched battle ensued
• It has been claimed the German team were doped for the second half of the final, accounting for their much stronger showing
Trivia
• Korean goalkeeper Hong Duk-Yung conceded 16 goals in two matches
• Fritz and Ottmar Walter of West Germany became the first brothers in a winning World Cup side. In the semi-finals, they had become the first brothers to score in the same World Cup game
• The Hungarians went into the final unbeaten in 29 matches over a four-year spell
• The German team were amateurs as there was no professional league there at the time
• Arthur Ellis, the English referee who officiated in the Battle of Berne, went on to become the referee on BBC TV's It's a Knockout
Source: FIFA, ESPN, AllSports & Getty